Wednesday, September 27, 2017

waiting for pumpkins and falling leaves

Today was our first taste of Fall.  The high today was 67 but it was accompanied by rain.  It's been raining for two days and that has brought us autumn weather.  Too bad it isn't going to last.  It gets back up in the 90's by the weekend.  

My daughter has been having one test after another.  She had an endoscopy today looking for an ulcer but didn't find one.  She's had an MRI and a CT scan plus an ultrasound.  The only thing that was found was a cyst on her liver which they say is benign.  Unfortunately she continues to have stomach pain, occasional vomiting and diarrhea.  She also has a lot of abdominal gas and heartburn.  So the mystery continues.

Ron and I were planning a trip to Tennessee in October and we were taking Mike with us but I just got called to Federal jury duty.  It starts October 8th and I have to be on call for five weeks.  They did say I was to check online on October 6th and if my name is not on the list it means I am excused from duty.  I've got my fingers crossed that I won't be needed.  Since my eyes are giving me so much trouble and I can't drive at night Ron will have to take me to the city every day I'm called for jury duty.  This is the first time I've been called for Federal jury.

Several years ago I served as a juror on county jury duty.  I was on two cases, a manslaughter case and a rape case.  It was a learning experience for sure.  I think everyone should be a juror if they get the chance.  It is important to see how our judicial system works.  It was my experience that people take their job very seriously when deciding the fate of another human being.  You learn what it means innocent until PROVEN guilty.  In the manslaughter case all 12 jurors felt the man was guilty but we all agreed that the prosecution did not prove their case.  It was hard to give a not guilty verdict when a 7 year old child died because of drinking and driving.  But there was no evidence that put the man behind the wheel.  There were two people in the car but no witness as to who was driving.  The two men blamed each other  so there was nothing we could do to convict anyone.  After the trial I  learned that the child who died was the granddaughter of one of my co-workers.

I'm about ready to call it a day.  I think I'll get into bed with a good book.



 

2 comments:

Olga said...

Funny that here in Vermont is was record breaking heat, hotter than it had been the entire summer.

I went a naturopath for treatment of my stomach problems simply to avoid all those tests and machines. I also had very good results so I am happy. It was not covered by insurance (Medicare) though and it did involve a restrictive diet for a while.

Florence said...

It is a bit cooler here on the Texas Gulf Coast but still warm. I am really looking forward to the first real cold front.

I know how frustrating it must be for your daughter trying to find out what is going on. I had a similar situation and it took months to find out that it was the duct leading from my gallbladder was blocked. I hope she gets some resolution and relief soon.

I think I’ve been on every jury in Harris County from Criminal Court to Civil Court to Traffic Court but I’ve never been on a Federal case. I’ve found my jury duty very interesting and I was impressed by how everyone works so hard to make sure everything is clear and proper.

I do hope you get to go on your trip though.

Happy October! Autumn is my favorite season.